In the days following the Spurs winning that NBA championship, it was revealed that Ginobili had suffered a stress fracture in his right leg. Usually this type of injury requires a two-month recovery, but Ginobili was very vocal about his intentions to play for the Argentina national team. Also, Ginobili’s MRI from last week came back inconclusive.

Curiously enough, San Antonio made their decision known after Ginobili’s World Cup teammate, Luis Scola, made several disparaging comments about the Argentine basketball association. Scola also threatened to boycott the team for FIBA due to corruption.